The Jesus and Mary Chain's first album since 1998 is 'Damage and Joy.'

Steve Gullick

After 30 years in the darklands, the Jesus and Mary Chain remain a tribute to the power of goth guitar noise, surly frowns and the kind of grudges only a pair of Scottish brothers can hold. The notoriously hostile duo of Jim and William Reid put aside their differences – some of them, anyway – for their first album since 1998’s Munki, picking up right where “I Hate Rock ‘n’ Roll” left off. Damage and Joy is full of fabulously morbid gems like “Simian Split” (“I killed Kurt Cobain/I put the shot right through his brain”) and “Mood Rider,” with its Hallmark-ready motto, “Kill everybody who’s hip.” Highlight: “Black and Blues,” starring Sky Ferreira in the role of the just-like-honey muse who sings along but refuses to cheer these guys up.